A Hetalia Crime Fic
by Hokuto Uchiha
Summary: For lack of a better title. AU. The peaceful town of Highland Park, Minnesota, is turned upside down when one of their own, a 5-year-old boy, is snatched in broad daylight from the park! Will the police find him in time, or will the child be gone forever?
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **I know this is really short, but it's the prologue to the story, after all.

* * *

**Prologue**

In Highland Park, a neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota, everything was as peaceful as can be. Crime was a rarity, aside from the occasional petty shoplifting, which can _hardly _be considered a crime. Everyone knew everybody.

All in all, Highland Park was a great place to live and raise a family.

Like mentioned before, Highland Park was a peaceful and crime-free place…until one day, when crime struck one family of four like a slap in the face.

This is the story of the events surrounding that particular family.


	2. 01: Someone's Watching

**Chapter 1: Someone's Watching**

One sunny day in May, the Beilschmidt family was at the park; they were having a great time, eating, laughing, and playing together. The family consisted of Claus Beilschmidt; his wife, Elise; Claus' twelve-year-old son, Ludwig; and his five-year-old stepson, Gilbert.

Gilbert—who was holding a brown teddy bear under one arm—finished his CapriSun, then looked over at a big, yellow slide, where a bunch of other kids his age and a little older were playing. He pointed to it and looked at his parents. "Mommy, Daddy, can I go on the slide?"

"Sure," said Elise. "As long as your brother goes with you."

Claus turned to Ludwig, who was busy texting someone, probably his friends, Feliciano Vargas and Kiku Honda, or his current girlfriend, Krysia Lukasiewicz. "Lui, could you take Gilbo to the playground?"

Ludwig's jaw dropped, and he whined. "But Dad, I'm talking to Feli and Kiku."

Claus sighed in frustration at his eldest son. "Ludwig Peter Beilschmidt, put the phone away and take your little brother to the—"

"Alright, alright," Ludwig replied hastily, holding his hands up in surrender. Then he texted Feliciano and Kiku. 'g2g. dad wants me to take squirt to the playground. ttyl.' Ludwig put the phone away, then rolled his eyes and looked at Gilbert, who was smiling at him. "Come on, Squirt. Let's go."

"Yay! Thanks, Big Brother!" Gilbert exclaimed happily as he ran towards the playground, ahead of Ludwig.

"Be careful, you two," Elise called out as she and Claus watched their sons go to the slide.

* * *

"West, watch me!" said Gilbert. He climbed up the slide and slid back down, landing right on his butt. "Oof." Then he brushed the dirt off his denim short overalls and kept on climbing up and sliding down while still holding his teddy bear (named Prussia) as his big brother watched him carefully.

As Ludwig watched Gilbert go up and down the slide multiple times, he couldn't help but smile. Yes, he thought babysitting Gilbert was annoying—particularly when he was talking to his friends and girlfriend—but he still loved the boy to death. After all, Gilbert was his one and only little brother.

"Whoa!" Gilbert said as he tripped and fell off the slide. He accidentally dropped Prussia on the ground when he tripped.

"Hey, careful, Gilbo," Ludwig said when he caught Gilbert in mid-fall. "You could've gotten hurt."

"Okay, bro," Gilbert said as he got back on the slide. "Lui, can I have Prussia?" He pointed to the bear.

"Here," said Ludwig. He picked Prussia up and handed the bear to his little brother.

"Thanks!" said Gilbert.

* * *

Unknown to anyone at the park, a man was sitting a little ways away from the playground, watching the children with great concentration. The man took out a cell phone and called someone.

"_Sasha here," _a voice on the other end said. The voice had a slight accent, signifying that the owner was from somewhere in Eastern Europe. _"What is it, Brother Dmitri?"_

"Brother Sasha, I think I might've found the package," Dmitri replied. His eyes were focused on Ludwig, who was still watching Gilbert like a hawk. "Um, he's about ten to twelve…thirteen at the most. The kid's wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, and he's got blond hair and blue eyes. Is that him?"

"_No," _said Sasha. "_The other kid. The one we've been following for the past four months! You're looking for __**a small child**__, remember, idiot?"_

Dmitri scanned the crowd of children again. Now he was focusing on Gilbert, who was now pushing Prussia down the slide and joining the stuffed animal, laughing as he did so. "I see a little boy, about three to five, maybe six. Platinum blond hair, red-violet eyes, wearing blue short overalls and a white T-shirt. He's also carrying a teddy bear. That's the one, right?"

"_Yes!" _said Sasha. _get out there and grab the brat. Then bring him here, and we'll __**take care of him**__. You know what I mean."_

"Got it," said Dmitri. He hung up and continued watching the Beilschmidt brothers, deciding to wait until Ludwig took his eyes off Gilbert to grab the boy.


	3. 02: Mommy, Daddy, Help Me!

**Chapter 2: Mommy, Daddy, Help Me!**

Dmitri hung up after talking to Sasha. He continued watching the Beilschmidt brothers, deciding on waiting until Ludwig looked away to snatch Gilbert.

* * *

An hour passed, and Ludwig still hadn't moved from his post by the slide; he was still making sure nothing happened to his baby brother. The time was now 4:30 in the afternoon.

"Screw this," said a frustrated Dmitri. He got out a gun and walked up to the playground.

* * *

Ludwig was busy with watching Gilbert, when he glanced sideways and saw Dmitri striding up to him and the other children. Something didn't set right with the boy about this man, so he got ready to fight. _'Good thing I took karate with Kiku,' _he thought to himself.

Gilbert and the other kids were laughing and playing, then stopped when they saw Ludwig ready to fight. Gilbert grabbed Prussia and slid down, this time landing on his feet. He went up to Ludwig and looked at him. "West, what's going on? Bro, what's wrong? You look mad…Who's that?" Gilbert shook as he saw Dmitri coming towards him and his brother. The other children hid under the slide.

"Gilbo, go to Mommy and Daddy, right now," Ludwig said urgently. "I'll take care of this guy." He gently pushed Gilbert away, then charged at Dmitri, his fist making direct contact with the man's gut.

Dmitri gasped for air as he bent over and held his stomach. He glared at Ludwig, who backed away and shielded Gilbert. "You insolent little—!" He was interrupted when Ludwig delivered more blows to him, using the martial arts he learned.

"Gilbo, run!" Ludwig yelled. He pushed Gilbert ahead of him, then started running as well. "Gilbo, go back to Mommy and Daddy! Hurry!"

"Oh no you don't!" Dmitri shouted. He ran after Ludwig and Gilbert. "Come back here, you little brat!" He intended to grab Gilbert, but Ludwig got in the way and Dmitri ended up grabbing him instead.

"Let me go!" Ludwig yelled. "Nnngh…!" The boy then managed to judo-flip Dmitri to the ground and ran to catch up with Gilbert.

"You!" Dmitri hissed. He slowly got up, then looked. Gilbert was getting farther and farther from his reach! Dmitri leered at Ludwig, then grabbed him, knocked him down, and kicked him until he was unconscious.

* * *

Gilbert heard Ludwig shouting for Dmitri to get off him and stopped. Then he saw the man standing over his big brother. Gilbert started crying and ran up to Ludwig, not knowing that Dmitri had done that to get him to come back. He reached his brother, then started shaking him. "Big brother! Lui, get up. Please get up." The child turned his head in the direction of his parents, who were now running to him and Ludwig. "Mommy, Daddy!"

Dmitri roughly grabbed Gilbert's wrist and squeezed. "Come on, kid. Let's go." He forcefully picked Gilbert up, then took Gilbert's stuffed bear the threw it on the ground. He walked away just as Claus and Elise came running to their children's rescue.

* * *

Claus and Elise gasped when they saw Ludwig lying unconscious on the ground. Claus took him in his arms and tried to wake him.

"Lui. Lui, wake up son. Please!" Claus said frantically. "Oh, shit…Lui, please wake up." He then felt for a pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief when it was confirmed that Ludwig was alive.

Elise picked Prussia up off the ground. "Gilbo! Gilbo, where are you?" She turned towards her husband, about to go out of her mind. "Claus, Gilbo's gone! Someone took him, I just know it! He wouldn't just leave Prussia here! Call the police!" Then she heard the sound of her youngest son calling out for her and Claus.

* * *

"Mommy, Daddy, help me!" Gilbert exclaimed, tears coming out of his eyes. "Help me!"

* * *

"Gilbo, no!" Claus yelled as he, too, heard Gilbert's cries for help. He had been calling the police, and an ambulance for Ludwig.

"We're coming, honey!" Elise cried. She looked like she was about to start sobbing. "Gilbo, just hang on!" Claus ran with her, while another adult stayed with Ludwig. She angrily yelled at Dmitri. "Let my son go, you son of a bitch!"

* * *

"Mommy, Daddy, help!" Gilbert cried.

"Oh, shut the hell up," said Dmitri. He covered Gilbert's mouth in order to muffle the child's cries for help. Then he opened the back door to the van and climbed in, carrying Gilbert with him.

Gilbert, still crying, reached out for his parents and tried calling for them again, before the van door slammed shut.

"No!" Elise cried when she saw the van door closing. The van took off, and Elise grabbed the rear doors, managing to pull them open. "Gilbo, I'll get you out of there, honey! Come here!"

Gilbert, now free of Dmitri, was still sobbing. Then he saw Elise. "Mommy, help me!" He crawled over and latched onto his mother without Dmitri noticing.

"It's okay, I've got you," Elise said gently. She got a hold on Gilbert, then jumped out of the back of the van and started running back towards Claus. "Ssh. It's alright, Gilbo, Mommy's got you."

* * *

"You bitch!" Dmitri yelled as soon as he looked out the window of the front passenger seat and saw Elise with Gilbert in her arms. "Brother Yuri, stop the van, now!"

"Right!" said Yuri. The van came to a sharp halt, and Dmitri jumped out. "Get him back here, Brother Dmitri." Dmitri angrily strode over to Claus and Elise, who were trying to calm their son down.

Claus and Elise gasped, and Claus tried shielding his wife and son from Dmitri.

"Give me that brat!" Dmitri hissed.

"Over my dead body," Claus said angrily. He and Dmitri fought, but Dmitri won.

"Claus!" Elise said frantically. She saw Dmitri coming towards her and Gilbert and held her son even tighter.

Claus slowly looked up from the ground, wincing from the injuries the blows dealt to him caused. "Ellie…run…"

Dmitri grabbed Elise by her hair and leered at her, getting in her face. "Thought you could get away with what you did, huh, you bitch?"

Elise wrinkled her nose at the smell of Dmitri's breath, which smelled like cigarettes. Then she kicked Dmitri in the shin and started running, like her husband said.

"Come back here, lady!" Dmitri shouted. He ran very quickly after Elise and Gilbert, then finally got a hold of the frightened woman.

Elise screamed. "Let go! Claus!" She was dragged into the van, and the door slammed shut.

Claus saw his wife and son being dragged into the van, and the van driving off once again. "No, Ellie, Gilbo!" He started running, then stopped when the van came to a sharp halt.

The van's rear doors opened, and Elise screamed hysterically as she was thrown out. "No! Give me back my baby, please! Gilbo!"

"Mommy! Help me, Mommy, help me!" Gilbert shrieked. He cried as the van doors slammed shut and the van sped off in a flash, away from the park.

"Ellie!" Claus said as he ran up to his distraught wife. Then he helped her up and tried calming her down, while trying to keep it together himself. "Ellie, don't worry, it'll be okay."

"Gilbo…no," Elise said quietly as she cried. She and Claus went back to Ludwig and thanked the adult who was watching over him. Then they waited for the police and ambulance to come as they held their eldest son.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dmitri was in the back of the van, trying to get Gilbert to shut up and stay still.

"You stupid brat!" Dmitri sneered as he bound Gilbert's hands with a length of thick rope; he made sure the knot was tight enough so that Gilbert wouldn't somehow wriggle out of it. Then he tied another length of rope around Gilbert's chest, making it a little hard for the boy to breathe. "You really thought your mommy could save you?" Then he and Yuri chuckled.

"I want my mommy and daddy!" Gilbert exclaimed, still bawling.

"Shut the hell up, kid," said Yuri. He looked back, glaring harshly at the poor child lying on the floor of the van.

"Please lemme go," Gilbert pleaded.

"Brother Yuri, hand me that roll of tape," said Dmitri.

"Gladly," Yuri replied to Dmitri's request. He got out a roll of duct tape and handed it to Dmitri, who tore a large piece off and put it on Gilbert's mouth to keep him quiet. Now all Gilbert could do was whimper and struggle, the rope scraping his wrists.

Dmitri got back in the front passenger seat, then called Sasha. "Brother Sasha, we've got him."

"_Good," _said Sasha.


	4. 03: Questioning, Prisoner

**Chapter 3: Questioning, Prisoner**

Twenty-three-year-old detective Alfred F. Jones pulled into the park and came to a quick stop, sending dust and other things flying every which way and making the partly-confused/partly-frightened people gathered around the crime scene cough and sneeze. He got out of his patrol car and went up to his colleagues, Arthur Kirkland and Vash Zwingli. "Hey, guys!"

"You're late, bloody git," said an irate Arthur.

"Sorry about that," a clearly embarrassed Alfred replied. "Mattie got food poisoning last night, so I spent the whole morning watching him till Francis could watch him…after his morning sexytime thing or whatever."

"You let that frog watch your brother?" Arthur asked incredulously.

"Hey, it was either ask Francis, who has the week off, or force Yao to skip Kaoru and Mei's soccer match," said Alfred. "Anyway, what's going on?"

"We've got a missing child," Vash explained, reading what was written on a notepad. "Gilbert Braginski, five years old. His parents said he was snatched by a man who approached Gilbert and his brother at the playground. Also said that they saw the child being carried away and thrown into a white van."

Alfred's features darkened as he seemed to remember something. "Oh my God. Not again."

Standing in the park, Alfred found himself reliving the very day the exact same thing happened to Matthew Williams, his younger half-brother. Alfred, who had been only eleven at the time, had tried his best to protect his then-five-year-old brother from a man who had approached them, but failed. Alfred and his parents had worried that they would never see Matthew again. They _did _get him back, but it had taken the police one year to the day to finally find little Matthew and bring him home alive; it turned out that Matthew had been the target of a child trafficking ring. Now Matthew was seventeen, and Alfred still found himself checking to see that Matthew hadn't been snatched.

What had happened those twelve years earlier was one of the reasons why Alfred had decided to become a detective. So that what had happened to Matthew wouldn't happen to any other child. He hadn't lost an abducted child yet, but now he was faced with the possibility that this might be the first time he and his friends failed in bringing a child home to his family.

* * *

Vash, Arthur, and Alfred went over to the distraught parents and unconscious boy. Claus and Elise were beside themselves, while Ludwig was being loaded into the ambulance.

"Mr. and Mrs. Beilschmidt," Vash said. "Now, what exactly happened here?"

Elise sniffed as she wiped her eyes. "Claus and I th-thought that we'd take the boys to the park for the day. We were having a good time. Gil…Gilbo wanted to…Oh, God!" She started sobbing again.

"Ssh, it's alright, Ellie," Claus said as he tried comforting his wife. Then he spoke for Elise, who had her face buried in his shirt. "Gilbo…he wanted to go play on the slide w-with the other kids. I had Lui take him over there and keep an eye on him. That's when…"

"That's when what?" asked Alfred.

"That's when we heard Lui and this man shouting," Elise said, having calmed down just enough to speak. "Then we heard Gilbo crying and calling for help. We… we saw the man…we saw him carrying Gilbo away! And Lui, he…he wouldn't wake up!" She couldn't hold it in anymore and broke down again.

"Lui?" Alfred asked about the nickname Claus and Elise gave their eldest son.

Claus had his arm around his wife's shaking shoulders. "Lui's real name is Ludwig. He's Gilbert's older stepbrother, my son from my first marriage. M-My first wife, Hanna, died four years ago, from an accident…a head-on collision. The cops said the driver probably did it on purpose. Lui was in the car with Hanna…and he said the man who killed his mother"—Claus shuddered at the mere memory and started sobbing—"drugged him and tried to drag him away! I met Ellie a year and a half after the accident." He drew in a shaky breath, then spoke again. "W-We got m-married just last year."

Alfred gaped. "What kind of name is Ludwig for your kid?" Claus glared at the young detective.

"Al, shut up, you git!" Arthur scolded.

"Sorry," said Alfred. "It's just, well, Ludwig's kind of a strange name."

"Can you _not _make fun of people's names for _one _second?" asked Arthur. "Bloody hell."

"Uh, sorry about him," said Vash. "Continue. What happened after you found Lui?"

"The man who took Gilbo…he covered Gilbo's mouth and dragged him into the van," said Elise. "I ran after the van and grabbed onto the rear doors. I did manage to get Gilbo out and bring him back to Claus. But then the man…he came over and beat Claus so badly that he couldn't stand up! The man grabbed me by my hair, and dragged me and Gilbo into the van! He and his buddy sped off, but stopped and threw me out!" Elise was trying not to hyperventilate. "He kept my baby in that van! I couldn't grab onto it again in time."

"Gilbo was crying when that bastard took him from us!" said Claus. "Why? Why did that son of a bitch take our son?"

"We don't know exactly," said Arthur. "Now, this is important. Do you know of anyone—anyone at all—who would do this?"

Claus and Elise were silent for a few moments, trying like hell to keep their composure.

Claus shuddered as he spoke up. "Y-You don't suppose that it was the same person who tried to snatch Lui four years ago…do you?"

"It's a possibility," said Vash.

Elise spoke this time. "My ex-husband, Ivan Braginski. He's Gilbo's real father. He lives in West Seventh."

"Why would Ivan want to take Gilbert?" Vash asked.

"He did yell at Ellie a number of times, saying he would take Gilbo with him and move someplace else, even out of state," said Claus. "Come to think of it, I wouldn't put it past the guy to do this. Sending a couple buddies of his to snatch Gilbo."

"It was because he kept on demanding more visitation time with Gilbo," Elise added. "He gets Gilbo on Father's Day, two weeks every summer, once on Thanksgiving break, and for three days every Christmas break. And he doesn't think it's enough!"

A paramedic came up to Claus and Elise. "We're getting ready to take your son to the hospital. You can ride along if you want."

"Thank you," said Claus. He wiped his eyes and helped Elise up.

"I'm so sorry about what happened," said Alfred. "But don't worry. We'll find Gilbo and bring him home. I promise."

"Thank you," said Elise. She and Claus got into the ambulance with their son.

* * *

"It's okay, Lui," Claus said with worry. "You'll be okay, son." Elise sobbed into Gilbert's teddy bear, which she still held close to her.

"I couldn't protect him…little bro…" Ludwig mumbled over and over. He was still unconscious, so he didn't hear Claus talking to him.

* * *

Alfred, Arthur, and Vash walked to their cars.

"Let's go talk to this Ivan Braginski guy," said Vash.

"Yes," said Arthur. He and the other two got into their cars and made their way to Ivan's house in West Seventh. They expected to find him at home, and ask him questions. They also expected to find little Gilbert there as well.

Alfred suddenly remembered something else; this time, it concerned Ludwig's nickname. "Oh no. Kiku knows a kid named Lui. If that kid was Kiku's friend...then Kiku's not gonna be too happy about finding out what happened!" The young detective ran his hands through his hair, then started his car and followed his colleeagues to West Seventh.

* * *

Yuri parked the van in front of an abandoned building. He got out of the driver's side and shut the door. "Brother Dmitri, we're here. Come on, get out and bring the brat in."

"Right," Dmitri said. He opened the door and got out himself. Then he opened the van's rear doors and got a still crying Gilbert out; the boy had stopped struggling a few moments before they reached their destination. Dmitri and his comrade went inside the building, which smelled heavily of mildew and felt drafty due to years of depreciation.

Yuri and Dmitri reached their boss, who was the man called Sasha.

"Brother Sasha, here's the boy," said Dmitri. He placed Gilbert on the floor. The boy looked up and saw Sasha grinning and leering at him. Dmitri took the tape off Gilbert's mouth and untied him.

Sasha bent down and looked the boy over, examining him like a piece of meat. "Excellent." He grinned again and stroked Gilbert's hair slowly. "He's perfect. He'll sell for a fair price, I'm sure. Just like that other boy, from twelve years ago. The one with blond hair and purple eyes." He laughed as Gilbert flinched away in fear.

Gilbert got very scared after hearing this and struggled in Dmitri's tight grip. "Let me go! I want Mommy and Daddy! I want my big brother."

"Shut up," Dmitri said in a harsh voice. He leaned in closer. "Your brother's dead. I killed him myself."

Sasha saw that Gilbert wouldn't stop struggling, and took out a gun. He held it under Gilbert's chin. "You will stop struggling like that. Or else I'll kill you! Do I make myself clear, boy?"

Gilbert stopped struggling upon feeling the cool metal of the gun against his skin. He cried and nodded. "Yes."

"Good," Sasha sneered and took the gun away. "Yuri."

"Yes, sir," said Yuri. He took out a pair of shackles and put them on the boy's wrists. Then he got a painfully firm grip on Gilbert's shoulders and led the child down a long corridor. Dmitri followed, and Gilbert looked down sadly as Yuri forced him to the end of the corridor.

* * *

Yuri, Gilbert, and Dmitri finally came to a stop in front of a closed door. Yuri opened the door, revealing a dark, drafty room with nothing but a dirty mattress on the floor. The mattress had a very thin blanket and a dirty pillow with no pillowcase on it. The upper corners of the room had patches of mold growing on them, and there was a small window that didn't let in any light.

Yuri unshackled Gilbert and pushed him into the room. "Make yourself at home, boy," he sneered. Then he slammed the door and locked it with a deadbolt, leaving Gilbert to look at his now bruised and scraped wrists.

* * *

Yuri and Dmitri walked back to Sasha.

"Dmitri, you and the others go check to see if the other merchandise is still alive," Sasha said coldly. "We need _live _products, not _dead _ones."

"Right away," said Dmitri. He, Yuri, and some other people went down the corridor again, this time unlocking and opening other doors, revealing other children. They were all crying their eyes out.

* * *

Gilbert heard the other kids (the walls were thin in this place) and started crying again. He went over to the mattress, got under the blanket, and lay down. "I wanna go home. Lui, why'd you hafta die?"


	5. 04: Ivan Finds Out

**Chapter 4: Ivan Finds Out**

Alfred, Vash, and Arthur were now in West Seventh, and got out of their cars. They pulled to a stop in front of a house that was at the end of the street. The mailbox of this house had the surname "Braginski" written on the side in bold, capital letters.

"This is it," said Vash. "Come on, guys." He, Arthur, and Alfred proceeded to the door. They were halfway there when they heard a voice from behind.

"Excuse me?" the female voice asked. The trio turned around and saw that the voice belonged to a woman with short platinum blond hair and blue eyes. She wore denim overalls over a long-sleeved white blouse. Her hair was held back by two clips and a yellow headband, and she was carrying a hoe. The woman looked like she had been tending to a garden. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, Miss," Arthur, the ever-true gentleman, replied. "We're looking for Ivan Braginski. Does he live here?"

"My name's Katyusha, and yes, Ivan lives here," the woman said. "He's my little brother."

"Oh," said Arthur.

"Do you know where he is right now?" Alfred asked. He was trying very hard to keep his cool, but still found himself remembering the incident from twelve years ago. Oh, how he wanted to find this Ivan person and bash his brains in!

"Yes," said Katyusha. "He's inside. Uh, is Vanya in some sort of trouble?" She led the trio to the house, wiping her dirty shoes on the doormat once she and the detectives reached the door. She also set the hoe down next to the door.

"We just need to ask him a few questions, that's all," said Vash. Katyusha opened the door and led the detectives into the house.

"Who are you people?" another woman asked. She looked young, about the same age as Alfred, maybe a year or so younger. She had long dark blond hair and blue eyes, and wore a navy blue dress, black thigh-highs, a pair of black dress shoes, and a white ribbon in her hair.

'_Wow, she's hot,' _Alfred thought as he looked at the girl. He turned slightly red. _'Maybe I could ask her out…' _The thought disappeared when he shook it off. _'Dammit, Alfred, stop thinking about that! The kid, remember, stupid?'_

"I said, 'Who are you people?'" the young woman demanded. The she saw Alfred looking at her and glared. "And what are _you _looking at, Four-Eyes?" Her glare sent a cold shiver up Alfred's spine.

"Natalia, these are detectives," Katyusha explained. "They want to talk to Vanya."

Natalia gave the detectives another death glare. "Alright. He's in the den, watching TV." She and Katyusha led Alfred, Vash, and Arthur to the den.

"Hey, I thought your brother's name was Ivan, not Vanya," said Alfred. Arthur and Vash face palmed and shook their heads.

"Al, you idiot," said Vash. "Vanya is short for Ivan."

"We're here," said Katyusha.

* * *

In the den, there was a man sitting on the couch. He had platinum blond hair and violet eyes, and was wearing a red T-shirt and denim jeans. His shoes were off, and he was watching _Two and a Half Men _with a slightly tired—something along the lines of "I've seen this before"—expression on his face. This was Ivan Braginski, Elise's ex-husband and Gilbert's real father.

Alfred looked at Ivan with wide and shocked eyes when he saw the man gently rubbing the back of a peacefully sleeping little boy. The boy had platinum blond hair and was using Ivan as a pillow. Since his eyes were closed, the detectives couldn't tell what color the boy's eyes were. The boy was wearing a blue Pikachu T-shirt and denim jeans.

"Iggy, Vash," Alfred said. "That's the kid, right?"

Arthur looked at a picture of Gilbert that Claus and Elise had given him and his buddies. "Looks like him. The guy might've changed Gilbert's clothes when he brought him here. But there's only one way to find out. Come on." He and the other two walked into the den.

"Ivan Braginski," said Vash.

Ivan looked confused upon seeing the three young men in his house. "Yes?" Then his voice dropped to a whisper. "And you'll have to keep your voices low. He's sleeping." Vash, Arthur, and Alfred flashed their badges in Ivan's face.

"Police," Vash whispered. "You're going to have to come with us—Al! What the hell are you doing?" Alfred had lunged at Ivan; he picked the man up and pushed him backwards against the wall. Alfred didn't look it, but boy, was he strong!

"What's going on here?" an alarmed Ivan asked. He was now really confused and scared.

"What are you doing to my brother?" a shaking Katyusha asked.

What Alfred had done had woken the child up. He looked around, scared and confused at what was going on.

Arthur bent down to eye level with the boy. "It's okay, Gilbert. We're gonna take you home."

"Mommy!" the boy exclaimed. He ran to Katyusha, who picked him up and hugged him.

"It's okay, Alex, it'll be okay," Katyusha said soothingly.

"Wait…" Vash said. "Let me get a look at the kid." After a few minutes, he turned to Arthur and Alfred. "It isn't the kid we're looking for. This kid's got blue eyes, not red-violet."

"What?" said an enraged Alfred. He rounded on Ivan. "Where the _hell _is he?"

"Who?" asked Ivan.

"Don't fuck with me, you scumbag! Where the hell is your son?" Alfred said through gritted teeth.

"Gilbo?" Ivan asked. "I'm not supposed to get him until Father's Day."

"I don't believe you," said Alfred. "Tell me where the boy is now, you son of a bitch."

Arthur and Vash had been watching this spectacle with terror. This was Alfred whenever something horrible happened to a child. They knew this, but still, it was scary to watch.

"Al, calm down," said Arthur. He grabbed Alfred from behind and pulled him off Ivan.

"Uncle Ivan!" said Alex. He, his mother, and Natalia ran over to Ivan.

"That bastard's hiding Gilbert somewhere, and he won't fess up," Alfred said angrily.

Ivan breathed heavily before speaking. "Can someone tell me what's going on?"

"Your son was abducted from the park, in Highland Park, today," said Arthur.

"What?" Ivan exclaimed, while Katyusha and Natalia looked on in surprise.

"Mommy, what's going on?" Alex asked in confusion.

"Alex, go to your room and play, okay, hon?" Katyusha said.

"Okay," said Alex. He ran to his room.

* * *

Elise stopped the car and turned off the ignition. She shot a glare at the house she used to live in with Ivan, when they were happily married. "I know you have Gilbo, you bastard." She got out, slammed the car door, and stormed up to the house.

* * *

"Gilbo was snatched?" Ivan asked shakily. He looked to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown after hearing the news.

"Oh no," said Katyusha. "My poor little nephew."

"Poor Gilbo," said Natalia. "I may hate Elise's guts for taking Vanya away from me, but…"

"Who took him?" asked Ivan. "Who took my son?"

"We don't know," said Vash.

Alfred started to feel really bad about what he had just done. The man clearly had no idea what happened, and he didn't know where his kid was!

"Well, if you don't know who took my nephew, why are you questioning my love—I mean, my brother?" Natalia asked furiously.

'_This girl's a weirdo,' _Alfred thought after hearing Natalia calling Ivan "her love".

"We needed to rule him out as a suspect," Vash replied. "Standard procedure; we have to consider everyone who has contact with the victim."

"I wish I could help," said Ivan. He put his hands in his hair, looking like he was going to tear it out. "I hope you find whoever took Gilbo—Ellie, what are you doing here?" Ivan's hands dropped to his sides as he saw his ex-wife storming into the den.

"Where is he, you son of a bitch?" Elise exclaimed hysterically. "What did you do to Gilbo? Where are you hiding him?"

Ivan became furious at Elise's accusations. "I didn't do anything to Gilbo! Maybe he'd still be with you if _you _hadn't taken your eyes off him at the park like you always do! I just _know _you did!"

"Lui was watching him! And that buddy of yours put him in the hospital!" said Elise. She started pounding on Ivan, who didn't move; he was glaring at her. "I want my son! Give him back to me, now!"

"Maybe Lui wouldn't be in the hospital if you hadn't made him play the role of 'parent'," Ivan said angrily. "I'm right, aren't I? You ditched _our _son just to gossip with your buddies! Now I bet poor Lui's blaming himself for what happened to his brother! The poor kid doesn't need this kind of crap happening to him!"

"Shut the hell up!" Elise shouted back. "Just shut up!" She pushed Ivan backwards.

Ivan pushed Elise back. "No, I won't shut up! You neglected our son, and now he's gone! Congrats, Ellie."

Ivan and Elise were now fighting and still at each other's throats. Finally, Arthur and Alfred broke them up.

"Cut it out, the both of you!" said Arthur. He held Elise back, while Alfred held Ivan back.

"Sorry about earlier," said Alfred.

"Apology…accepted," said Ivan. He was still seething with anger at Elise for Gilbert being abducted.

"The both of you will just have to put your differences aside right now," said Vash. "For your son. That means no fighting, no accusing each other of hiding Gilbert or neglecting him. Got it?"

"Fine," said Elise.

"Whatever," Ivan said.

"I'll take those as a yes," said Vash.


	6. 05: We WILL Bring Him Home!

**Chapter 5: We WILL Bring Him Home!**

Two days after questioning Claus, Elise, and Ivan, and after looking at several related cases involving children being snatched from public places in broad daylight, Vash, Arthur, and Alfred were at the hospital. They stepped through the automatic doors and walked up to the receptionist's desk, where a woman looked like she was working. She was actually most likely playing Farmville on Facebook.

"Excuse me," Vash said to the woman. He heard her computer moo like a cow. Yup, she was on Farmville, alright. "Where can we find Ludwig Beilschmidt's room?"

"Are you family members?" the woman asked. Now the cluck of a chicken came from the computer, followed by the neigh of a horse.

"No, we're the police," said Alfred. He flashed his badge in the woman's face; Arthur and Vash did so as well.

The woman switched tabs on the open window and looked at another tab containing records. "He's in room 237, in the children's wing."

"Thanks," Arthur said. He and his colleagues took the elevator to the third floor. Once they got there, they started looking for room 237, when Vash spoke up.

"Hey, I'm getting hungry," Vash said. "Anyone else hungry?"

"Yes, Vash, I'm hungry, too, but we have a missing kid to find," Alfred said seriously. "Focus."

Arthur and Vash looked surprised; any other day, Alfred would get excited about food.

* * *

They were now at room 237. Vash, Arthur, and Alfred went up to the Beilschmidt family.

Claus and Elise looked up from their son and saw the detectives standing in the room.

"Oh, hi, detectives," said Elise. "Have you found our baby?"

"No, I'm sorry," said Arthur. "We haven't found him yet."

"Can we ask Lui a few questions?" Vash asked.

Claus looked at Ludwig, who was beside himself with grief. He hesitated as he looked back at the detectives. "Um…"

"No," said Elise. "Lui's been through enough. I'm not having you ask him _anything_! Got it?"

Ludwig sullenly looked up from the sheets on his bed to his parents and the detectives. He was very quiet when he spoke. "It's alright. I'll talk to you guys."

"Well…okay," Claus said, giving in to his son.

"No, they can't talk to him!" Elise said hysterically. Claus was so sure his wife was going to break down again at any given moment. "For crying out loud, he's having nightmares! I can't…I won't force Lui to relive—"

"Mom, I'll be okay," Ludwig tried reassuring his stepmother.

"No way in Hell," said Elise. "I won't force you to go through that again!"

"Ellie, let him talk to these guys," said Claus. "He might be able to—"

"No, Claus. Like I said before, Lui's been through enough. I can't, I just _can't _put him through what happened again!"

"I'll talk to you guys," Ludwig said.

"No!" Elise cried. "Lui, you don't have to do this!" She drew Ludwig into a hug, smothering him.

"Ma'am!" Arthur said. "I know you don't want to put your son through anymore trauma, but we might need his help if we're going to find Gilbert."

"Mom, I said I'll be fine," Ludwig said, his voice muffled due to being in Elise's arms. "Now can you let me go? I can't breathe!"

"Oh, sorry," said Elise. She let Ludwig go. "Okay. You can talk to them."

"Thank you," said Vash.

Alfred sat down by Ludwig's bed. "Hey, Lui. Mind if I call you LuLu?"

"Don't. Call. Me. LuLu!" Ludwig said through gritted teeth. "I hate that name! Viktor Krum from my school calls me that just to piss me off."

"Okay, okay," said Alfred. "Lui it is. Now, I need to ask you something."

"Go ahead," Ludwig replied. He held two 'I Miss You!' cards and one 'Get Well Soon' card in his hands and was looking at them. The 'I Miss You!' cards were made by his friend Feliciano and girlfriend Krysia, and the 'Get Well Soon' card was made by his other friend Kiku.

"The man who took Gilbert…" Alfred said. "Did you get a good look at him? What did he look like?"

Ludwig started shuddering at the mere memory of what had happened at the park, about the man who stole his baby brother. "He…he looked like some mob guy, I think. P-Probably R-Russian. He had some accent when he talked. And he kind of looked like Gilbo's real dad, except this guy was…he was cruel."

"Russian mob," said Alfred when he looked at Vash and Arthur. His face darkened. "Sounds like the same people who took my brother twelve years ago."

"What happened?" Arthur asked.

"We already told you what happened," said Elise. "When we were at the park, and you came and asked us! Why do you need to ask Lui what happened?"

"We need to get his version of events, too," said Vash.

Ludwig looked like he was going to cry. "I was just watching Gilbo on the sl-slide. The guy showed up, and I punched him in the gut…and used a bunch of karate moves on him." The tears started falling, and he dropped his cards. "I told Gilbo to run, and I started running, too. The guy tried to grab Gilbo, but got me instead! Then he b-beat me…that's when I passed out." He started crying more as he went on. "It's all my fault. I couldn't protect my own brother! I'm sorry."

Claus and Elise rushed over to their son and put their arms around him.

"It's okay," Claus said gently.

"Ssh, Lui, it's not your fault," said Elise.

Claus turned to the detective trio. "Maybe we should call it a day."

Alfred agreed. Then he put his hand on Ludwig's shoulder. "Thanks, Lui. You helped us a lot." He, Vash, and Arthur left the room.

* * *

Alfred, Vash, and Arthur walked out of the hospital, towards Vash's car.

"How did that description help?" Arthur asked. "There must be hundreds of guys who have some resemblance to Ivan, but they're most likely not part of the Russian mob."

"Iggy, the kid got a better look at the guy than his parents did," said Alfred.

"Yeah," said Vash.

"Oh," Arthur said.

"With Lui's help, we'll probably be able to find Gilbert sooner than we thought," said Alfred. "No, wait, scratch that. We _will _find the boy and bring him home. Even if it kills me!"

With that, the detectives got in Vash's car and drove back to the station. Little did they know they'd run into a potential lead.


	7. 06: Auction Plans, I'm Sorry, Gilbo!

**Chapter 6: Auction Plans; I'm Sorry, Gilbo!**

Vash, Arthur, and Alfred were on their way back to the station when Alfred yelled at Vash to pull over. Vash put on the brake, making the car come to a sharp halt. Poor Arthur hit his face on the windshield!

"Bloody hell!" Arthur said, rubbing his face. "Vash, can you make the stops any less sharp, you dolt?"

"Sorry," said Vash. He saw Alfred open the back door and bolt. "Al! Where are you going?"

"I saw someone going this way," said Alfred. "Looks like he was dragging something…or some_one_." He continued running, and Vash and Arthur followed.

* * *

Alfred turned a corner and carefully hid himself behind a graffiti- covered wall. His hiding place smelled of rotten garbage that was due for a pickup, and he saw a few flies buzzing around the stuff. _'gee, talk about bad hiding places.' _He covered his mouth and nose with his shirt and peeked out from behind the wall. Alfred saw something that shocked him: A man who looked like the person Ludwig described. The man who had taken Gilbert from the park two days earlier! _'But why does he seem so familiar?'_

* * *

The man was forcefully pulling a crying Gilbert along by his arm. Gilbert seemed lethargic, most likely from hunger, illness, or even from being drugged. "Let's go, you little brat!"

* * *

Alfred gasped when he heard the man speak with that accent of his. He spoke quietly to himself. "It's…him! The guy who…who took Mattie! Now I know why he's familiar!"

* * *

"N-No," Gilbert said. Tears leaked from his eyes like a never-ending waterfall. He weakly tried pulling his arm out of his captor's grip. "Lemme go! I wanna go home. Please."

The man forced Gilbert up against a wall, then grabbed the boy's face in order to make the child look him in the eyes. Then he took a gun out and held it to Gilbert. "You want me to shoot you? Well?"

"No," Gilbert whimpered as the gun touched his forehead.

The man put the gun away and grabbed Gilbert's arm again. "Then do as I say and come on." he held Gilbert like a rag doll as he dialed Sasha's number. "Brother Sasha, I'm here. I brought the kid back."

* * *

'_He tried escaping?' _Alfred thought.

* * *

"Oh?" the man asked. "So, when's the bidding gonna take place?"

* * *

"Bidding?" Arthur whispered as he and Vash finally caught up with Alfred.

"Shush!" Alfred commanded.

"They're gonna sell him?" Vash asked.

"I said 'shush'!" said Alfred.

* * *

"In two days, huh?" the man asked. "I should have the little brats ready by then. So, where, exactly, again?"

* * *

"I can't believe this," Alfred whispered angrily. "A child trafficking ring!"

* * *

"The old auction house?" the man asked. "That hasn't been used in…I dunno, a hundred years or so. Why there?"

"I don't wanna be sold!" Gilbert cried weakly, as loud as his voice would allow.

"Shut the hell up!" the man shouted. He slapped Gilbert very hard across the face, then took out a needle. He took the cap off and held it to Gilbert. "This should keep you quiet." He injected the needle into Gilbert's neck. The drug used made Gilbert groggy and even more weak, unable to fight back. Then the man got back into his conversation. "Oh, that was nothing, just the boy being a brat. So why the old auction house again? Oh, no one ever goes there. I got it. Okay, I'll be there in two days. I'm going in now."

* * *

Alfred stood up. "I'm gonna kill that man!" He started running out from his hiding place, but Vash and Arthur stopped him.

"Al, no! He'll kill Gilbo if he sees the cops coming after him!" said Arthur. Alfred resigned himself to staying put, but he didn't like that one bit.

* * *

"Let's go, boy," the man said harshly. He pulled Gilbert along and opened the door to the building.

"N-N-No…No!" Gilbert said. He tried struggling again, but his feet wouldn't move. Then he caught a glimpse of the detectives, and saw Alfred reaching for him. "Help me…please help…" The door slammed shut after the man had Gilbert back inside.

* * *

Alfred shuddered as he turned to his colleagues. "Why didn't you let me go after him? We could've had Gilbert back home by the end of the day. Now he's done for."

"Like I said, Gilbert would've been dead right there if we showed up out of nowhere," said Arthur. "It was only to ensure Gilbert's life."

Alfred drew in a few shaky breaths. "We have to go undercover, guys."

Vash and Arthur agreed.

"Remember, guys," Alfred said seriously. "Two days. That's all the time we've got to save Gilbert."

* * *

That night, Ludwig was home from the hospital. Claus and Elise had drifted off to sleep after two days of not getting any due to what happened. Not even a minute later, they were woken up by screams coming from Ludwig's room. They jumped out of bed and rushed to the older boy's room.

* * *

Claus threw the door open. "Lui!" He became alarmed when he saw his son screaming in his bed.

"N-No…Don't take him!" Ludwig screamed. Beads of sweat made his bangs stick to his forehead, and tears flowed out of his closed eyes. "No, please! Gilbo, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, little bro!"

"Lui, wake up," Elise said, gently shaking the screaming boy.

"Lui, you've gotta wake up," said Claus, using the same tone as his wife.

Ludwig woke up a few minutes later. He was breathing heavily and looking around frantically. When his eyes finally focused on his worried parents, he started to cry again. "I'm sorry!"

"Oh no, Lui, don't be sorry," said Elise.

"It's not your fault, son," said Claus. He and Elise gave Ludwig gentle hugs and tried comforting him. "Ssh, it'll be okay. Gilbo will come back."


	8. 07: Undercover Plans, Al and Mattie

**Chapter 7**

The next day, Alfred, Vash and Arthur were talking to their captain about what they were thinking of doing.

"Really?" said the captain. "You really think that going undercover will save this child?"

"Yes!" said Alfred. "I do! It's the only way!"

"He's right, sir," said Arthur. "We only have one day left now until Gilbert's sold off to someone and never seen again."

"Right," said Alfred. "What Arthur said! And I won't let that happen! It happened to Mattie!"

"But you and your parents got your brother back," said the captain. "And wasn't that 12 years ago?"

"Yeah, but it took a whole year to get him back! I won't let Gilbert's family go through the same stuff we went through," said Alfred.

Vash stepped in. "Captain, we have to do this. It's the only way to save the kid."

The captain sighed. Since Alfred was on this case, it was no use in talking him, or Vash and Arthur, out of this. "Okay. Tomorrow, go to the old auction house. One of you will go as a mob member, looking for someone to traffic drugs for you. And remember to win the bid!"

"Right," the three detectives said. They walked off.

* * *

Alfred walked to his car. Vash and Arthur followed him.

"So, who's it gonna be?" asked Arthur.

"I'll do it," Alfred said immediately.

"Al, no," said Vash. "Let me. I have the most guns."

"No!" said Alfred. "I have to do this. _I _have to. I dunno why, but I know that it has to be me."

"Okay," said Arthur.

"You and Vash…well, you two can just stay outside, and I'll let you know when I've got the boy," said Alfred.

"Right," said Vash.

The three detectives parted ways, each heading to their own places.

* * *

Alfred walked into the door to the apartment he shared with his younger brother, Matthew.

"Al," Matthew said happily. He looked up from a book and notebook.

"Hey, Mattie," said Alfred. He sighed tiredly as he hung his coat up. Alfred sat down on the couch next to Matthew.

"What's up?" asked Matthew. "You look tired."

"Oh, it's nothing," said Alfred. "You finish your homework?"

"Almost done," said Matthew.

"So, what's for dinner?" asked Alfred as he went to go to the kitchen.

"I dunno," said Matthew. "When I got home from school today, I found the pot I usually cook with was gone."

"Hm," Alfred said. "Maybe tonight could be a pizza night. Hey, so, did you call the cops about the missing pot?"

"Yeah," said Matthew. "They said that they can't do anything about it. Can you believe that?"

"What?" Alfred asked disbelievingly. "Oh my God." He took out his cell and dialed the number to the nearest pizza place. "I'll talk to my captain tomorrow about the pot."

"Thanks," said Matthew. He got back to his homework.

Half an hour later, the pizza arrived. Alfred brought the pizza in, and he and Matthew sat down in front of the TV and ate.

"Al, you're going undercover again, aren't you?" asked Matthew.

Alfred nearly choked on his pepperoni pizza. "Wh-what?"

"It's about that missing kid, right?" Matthew asked.

Alfred sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm going undercover. But it's to save the boy."

"What's gonna happen to him?" asked Matthew.

"I'm gonna have to buy him to save him," said Alfred. "I wish it didn't have to come to that, but the auction's going on tomorrow. And if I don't win the bid, the kid's gonna be gone forever."

Matthew took a bite of pizza and drank from a can of Pepsi. "Just like me."

"Yeah," said Alfred. "Only Mom and Dad actually got you back."

"I miss them," said Matthew.

"I know," said Alfred. "Me, too."

* * *

Arthur walked through the door to the apartment he shared with his younger brother, Peter.

"Aaaaaaarrrrrrrthuuuuuuurrrrr!" a 12-year-old boy shouted as he jumped on top of Arthur's shoulders. This was Peter.

"Bloody hell!" Arthur exclaimed in surprise. "Peter, get off!"

"Notice me, for I am the almighty ruler of the mightiest country in the world! Sealand!" Peter screamed in poor Arthur's ear.

Arthur pried Peter off him. "Pete, Sealand's not a nation; it's an old sea fort. And I notice you _every day_, wanker."

Peter pouted. "Sealand is _too _a country!"

"No, it's not," said Arthur. He sighed tiredly and sat down on the couch.

Peter noticed something was off about his brother: Arthur wasn't lecturing him about anything. He sat down next to Arthur. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," said Arthur. "I just had a long day."

"It's about that missing kid, right?" asked Peter.

"Yeah," Arthur replied. Then he tried to brighten the mood a little. "Uh, why don't you watch anime or something, and I'll make dinner?"

"Bloody hell no!" said Peter. "Your cooking sucks!" He stuck his tongue out.

One of Arthur's eyebrows twitched. "Alright...I'll order Chinese instead, okay?"

"Yay!" Peter said happily as he ran off to watch anime. Arthur got out his cell and dialed the number to the nearest Chinese food place.

* * *

"I'm home," Vash called as he stepped inside his house.

"Hey, Brother," Vash's younger sister, 14-year-old Lili, said with a smile. Her smile faded as she saw Vash plop himself down on the couch. "What's the matter?"

"I'm just tired," said Vash.

Lili knew what was on her brother's mind. "Don't worry, you'll find that kid."

"Thanks, Lili," Vash replied.

"Guess what?" Lili said excitedly to try and cheer Vash up.

"What?" asked Vash.

"I got the lead in..." Lili started to say, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," said Vash. He went to the door. "Oh, it's you, Roderich." Vash and Lili's neighbor, Roderich Edelstein, stood outside.

"Hello, Vash," Roderich said. "I just wanted to point out that your grass looks unkempt."

Vash rolled his eyes. "Uh, yeah. _So?_"

"SO!" said Roderich. "It makes _my _lawn look bad."

Vash sighed irritably. This was not the time to deal with Roderich's complaints about his lawn. "Roderich, can we talk about this some other time?"

"No," said Roderich. "You need to cut your grass so that it doesn't look bad."

"I. Don't. Have. The. Time. Right. Now," Vash said through gritted teeth. "Listen, I'm working on a really important case. I promise, I'll take care of my grass later so that your oh-so-precious lawn doesn't look bad, okay?"

"Thank you," said Roderich. "Goodbye." He left and went back to his place.

Vash closed the door, sighed in frustration and sat back down on the couch. "Man, he's annoying!" Then he smelled something good in the kitchen. "Hey, that smells good, Lili."

"Thanks," said Lili. "We're having stir-fry tonight."

"Great," Vash said and smiled.


	9. 08: Saving Gilbo, Alfred Gets Shot

**Chapter 8: Saving Gilbo, Alfred Gets Shot**

Alfred woke up. This was it. The big day: The day he would rescue Gilbert and bring him home to his family. The young detective got out of bed and put on the clothes he was to wear: baggy jeans; a pair of dirty sneakers that he didn't wear anymore; a black jacket complete with a hood that covered most of his face; and a pair of black fingerless gloves. Alfred also picked up his gun and badge, and put them in the two front pockets of the jacket.

Alfred walked out of his bedroom and into the kitchen/dining room. There, he saw Matthew putting a plate of pancakes down on the table. "Hey, Mattie. These look great." He took two pancakes and put them on a plate.

"Thanks," Matthew replied. "Today just feels like a pancake day for me."

Alfred put some butter and syrup on the pancakes. "Ready for school?"

"Yup," said Matthew. "Hey, Al, can I bring Kumajirou today?"

Alfred sighed and laughed a little. "Sorry, Mattie…but Kumajirou's a pet, remember? And last I checked, they don't allow pets in school. Especially pet polar bears, no matter how cute said bear is."

"Oh, man," Matthew said and pouted.

When Alfred and Matthew were finished with their breakfast, they fed Kumajirou.

"Come on, Mattie," Alfred said. "I'll drive you in today, okay?"

"Sure. Thanks, Al." Matthew grabbed his backpack, and he and Alfred headed out the door. The brothers got into Alfred's car and were headed towards St. Paul Academy and Summit School, the school Matthew attended.

* * *

Matthew looked at Alfred questioningly. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"Oh, this?" Alfred replied. "I have to wear this for my undercover thing today."

"Oh," said Matthew. "How come?"

"I'm supposed to pose as a drug dealer," said Alfred. "I have to bid on the kid to get someone to traffic drugs for me."

"Oh. Okay," said Matthew.

* * *

A little later, Alfred pulled into the high school drop off/pick up area. Matthew got out.

"Bye, Al," said Matthew. "Good luck." He closed the door and ran to join his friend, Carlos.

"See you later, Mattie," Alfred called back. He then pulled out of the high school parking lot and drove off to meet Arthur and Vash at the old auction house. It was 8:30 a.m. The auction was set to start at 9:00. He had to hurry!

* * *

At 8:50, Alfred showed up. He got out of the car and ran up to Vash and Arthur. "Hey, guys."

"Just in time," said Arthur.

"So, you know what to do, right?" asked Vash.

"Yes," said Alfred. "I'm supposed to go in and win the bid for Gilbert. Don't worry, guys, I'll win!"

"But what if you don't?" asked Arthur. He was nervous now. "Then we'll never get him back."

"I won't let that happen," said Alfred. "Trust me."

Vash checked his watch. "It's 8:59. You better go in. We'll be waiting out here."

"Okay," said Alfred. He turned and ran into the old building.

* * *

Alfred looked around the old auction house. It was an old building that smelled a hundred or so years old. It fell into disuse exactly one hundred years ago, but there was one particular room that the Russian Mafia had modified just for today.

Alfred followed the other people into the modified room. The room had a bunch of chairs sitting around a large glass cage, which was barely noticeable with the lights off. Alfred thought he heard crying in there. In front of those chairs were speakers and some keyboards for typing in bids. The speakers were for this automated system to announce said bids. Alfred sat down in one of those chairs and watched as the clock hit 9:00. He took deep breaths. _'This is it. This is life or death.' _The lights came on, and Alfred saw about five other children in the cage; three were drugged heavily, while the other two were crying for their parents to save them.

Right at that moment, Sasha came out and thanked everyone for coming to bid.

"And, for today, in addition to our prime merchandise, we've got a cute 5-year-old kid," Sasha said. "Very unusual hair and eyes." He indicated Gilbert, who was, once again, in shackles and this time he was being pulled along by Yuri. Gilbert was also wearing a collar to show that he was property; the chain Yuri was pulling Gilbert with was attached to the child's collar. Alfred's eyes widened in shock at the sight, but had to strongly resist the urge to punch Yuri's lights out, grab Gilbert and run away from the building.

"Come on!" Yuri said forcefully. He gave the long chain a big tug, forcing Gilbert to stumble and almost fall. The poor boy was still drugged, so he had no choice but to keep doing as his captors said.

Gilbert was crying, and his speech was slurred. "I want Mommy and Daddy, and my big brother. Please lemme go."

"Shut up and get in there," Sasha sneered. Yuri drugged Gilbert more, unlocked the shackles, took the chain off, and pushed Gilbert into the glass cage. Sasha shut it, and Gilbert was now sitting in a corner and hugging his knees, along with the other children.

"Okay, start the bids…now," said Sasha.

Everyone began bidding right away. One bid after another was announced. Alfred feverishly entered bid after bid, after bid.

"$1,000," the automated system announced for one person.

"Shit," Alfred muttered. He typed in $2,000.

"$2,000," said the voice.

Someone bid $2,010, and someone else bid $2,050.

Alfred punched in $3,500. Everyone kept entering bids. Alfred looked at Gilbert. The boy was covering his now glassy eyes.

* * *

"Help me..." Gilbert whispered to nobody in particular. He was looking up at the ceiling of the cage. Now, he was slumping lower to the floor and tried to keep himself sitting upright so Sasha and his men wouldn't kill him for being what they would call a "defective product".

* * *

Three hours later, Alfred typed in the final bid: $8,000.

"Thank you for choosing AutoBid for your event," the voice said as the auction ended. Everyone who lost got up and walked away, grumbling amongst one another.

Sasha walked up to Alfred. "Congratulations, man," he said, shaking Alfred's hand. "Now, here are those brats."

Yuri brought Gilbert and the other children out and forced them towards their unknown-at-the-moment savior.

"Thanks," said Alfred. He took Gilbert and another child by the wrists and saw the boy and girl looking up at him with wet, sad eyes. Gilbert and the other kids thought they were never going to see their families again.

"Use them well," said Sasha.

"The key to the collars, please," Alfred said; he noticed the other kids had collars on them as well. He held his hand out.

"Okay," said Yuri. "Here." He handed Alfred a key.

"Enjoy life with your new master," Sasha said maliciously to Gilbert and the other kids, who were wiping their eyes.

"Thanks again," said Alfred. "They'll make good mules." He then grabbed his phone and dialed the number to Arthur's cell as he walked away with the children. "Iggy, I've got Gilbert and the other kids. Now."

"Please lemme go home, Mister," Gilbert whimpered. The other kids pleaded for Alfred to let them go.

Just then, Arthur and Vash burst in, brandishing their guns and flashing their badges.

"Police!" Vash shouted. He and Arthur took down the Russian Mob members, while Alfred took the hood of his jacket off and bent down to Gilbert's level. He took the key out and removed every one of the children's collars.

"It's okay, guys," Alfred said reassuringly. "We're police officers."

Gilbert and the other children sniffled and clung to Alfred, burying their faces in the detective's jacket.

"I wanna go home," Gilbert said weakly.

"Ssh, it's okay," Alfred said gently, hugging Gilbert and the other kids, trying to calm them down. "We'll get you home to your mommies and daddies."

Gilbert looked up at Alfred with worry. "Mister? My big brother's dead, isn't he? One of those guys hit him and he didn't wake up! The guy said he killed Lui!"

"No," Alfred said softly. He continued hugging Gilbert and rubbing the child's back. "No, Lui's not dead, Gilbo. He's okay."

"Al, get the kids out of here!" Arthur said urgently.

"Right," said Alfred. He took Gilbert by the hand and ran out of the auction house, the other children in tow.

"Come back here!" Sasha shouted. He escaped from Vash's hold on him and ran after Alfred. "Those kids are our property!"

* * *

Sasha made it out of the building. "Hey! You're a cop, aren't you?"

"Yes," Alfred said angrily. He flashed his badge and stood in front of the children. "And you're under arrest, for kidnapping and attempted child trafficking, you worthless piece of shit." He got out a pair of handcuffs and walked towards the mob leader, who pulled out his own gun.

"That's where you're wrong," said Sasha. He pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Alfred, sending him to the ground just as Arthur and Vash came out with the rest of the members. The other kids screamed and scattered, while Gilbert remained behind, still dazed and disoriented.

"Mister!" Gilbert cried as he ran over to Alfred. "Al! Al, get up."

Alfred looked over to Gilbert. "Run, Gilbo. Go with...the others..." His voice was weak.

"Al, please get up," Gilbert pleaded.

After Vash and Arthur put the members in a police truck, they rushed over to Alfred's side. Arthur got out his phone and called an ambulance.

"I lost the others, but I'll be taking _this_ boy back," said Sasha. "Come on, kid." He grabbed Gilbert by the wrist.

"No!" Gilbert said. "Help me!"

"Let him go!" Vash yelled. He ran over and tackled Sasha. Gilbert ran over to Arthur and Alfred.

Arthur looked at Gilbert. "It'll be okay. We'll get you home." He held Gilbert protectively while applying pressure to Alfred's wound to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, Vash arrested Sasha and put him in the truck with his mob buddies, then found the other kids. "Hang in there, Al."

Vash ran over to Arthur, Gilbert and Alfred. "Al, stay with us. You've gotta stay awake."

Alfred swallowed before speaking. "Get…Gilbo and the other kids…home."

"Vash," Arthur said. "Can you take these kids home?"

"I dun wanna leave Al," Gilbert said softly. His breaths were now shaky; he was upset because Alfred got shot. He then coughed very hard and put his hands on the ground in order to keep from falling over; the drugs were still in his bloodstream.

"Gilbo's gonna need to be checked out by a doctor," Vash told Arthur. "He's sick, and I don't know how much drugs those bastards packed into him. Same goes for the other kids." He put his arm around Gilbert, while the other kids held onto the young detective.

The police truck with the mob members inside drove away, while an ambulance was heard not too far away.

"Al, an ambulance is almost here," said Arthur. "Stay with us, Al. Please."

"M-Mattie…" Alfred said quietly as his eyelids became heavy. "Iggy…take...good care...of Mattie...for me..."

"Al!" Arthur said frantically. "Al, don't close your eyes! Al!"


	10. 09: Happy Ending

**Chapter 9: Happy Ending**

Ivan walked quickly through the hospital's double automatic entrance doors. He saw Vash and went up to the young detective.

"Oh, hi, Ivan," Vash said when he saw the worried-looking man.

"Detective," Ivan said, struggling to breathe normally. "You called me…about Gilbo? He's here?"

"Yeah," said Vash.

"Well, where is he?" Ivan asked. "I want to see my son."

"I'll take you to his room," Vash replied. He led Ivan to an elevator, and the two of them took it to the third floor, where the children's ward was.

"Uh, where are the other two guys who were with you?" Ivan asked as Vash led him down a corridor.

"Alfred was shot by one of the guys who took your son," said Vash. "Arthur's picking up Alfred's little brother from school, and bringing him here to see Al." Vash stopped at a room numbered 210. "Here we are."

* * *

Vash and Ivan walked into the room and saw a little girl sound asleep in one of the two beds. This was one of the kids Vash, Arthur, and Alfred saved.

"Gilbo," Ivan said in relief when he saw his son in the other bed. He rushed over and hugged a sick-looking and still-drugged Gilbert.

"Papa," Gilbert said. "I was scared." The boy started sniffling while burying his face in his father's shirt, then coughed a little. "The mean guys tried to sell me. And they shot Al."

_'Oh my God,' _Ivan thought. _'Poor Gilbo.' _"It's okay," he then said gently. "You're okay now, it's gonna be okay." Ivan felt sick to his stomach when he saw the bruises on Gilbert's wrists and neck from the collar and shackles; he also saw the needle marks on his son left by Sasha and his men when they drugged the child.

Vash's phone vibrated in his pocket, as he didn't want to disturb Gilbert's roommate, or Gilbert, if he was asleep as well. He took the phone out and flipped it open. "Zwingli. Okay, I'll be down there in a couple minutes; I'm with Gilbo's dad right now. Right. Tell him that Al's gonna be fine. I'll be down there in a couple minutes. Bye." Vash hung up and flipped his phone shut.

"Who was that?" asked Ivan. Gilbert was now sitting in his lap and still clinging to Ivan.

"That was Arthur," Vash replied as he turned to leave the room. "He called me and told me that Alfred's brother's here now. I've gotta go; I'll be back soon." Vash left the room, leaving Ivan with Gilbert.

* * *

Vash took the elevator to the second floor, where Arthur and a very worried and upset Matthew were waiting for him.

"Sorry I took so long," said Vash. "I brought Ivan up to see Gilbo."

"That's good," Arthur said. "Now, Mattie wants to see Al."

"Is he okay?" Matthew asked, his purple eyes wide with worry. "Please tell me he's alright!"

"He's okay," said Vash. "This way." He led Arthur and Matthew down to a room numbered 137. He, Arthur and Matthew walked into the room. They saw Alfred on one of the beds, pouting while flipping the channels and mumbling about there being nothing good on.

"Al!" Matthew said. He went over to Alfred and gave him a hug. "I'm glad you're okay. I was afraid you died."

"Hey, Mattie," said Alfred. "This is pretty cool, huh? I have this room to myself." Alfred laughed a little.

Matthew gave a chuckle. "I'm glad you got that kid back, too."

"Thanks," said Alfred.

"Hey, Al," said Vash. "Arthur and I have to go back to the lobby. We've gotta see if Claus, Elise and their other kid are here."

"Uh, the kid's name is Mudgig, right?" Alfred asked.

"No, you bloody dolt," an annoyed Arthur replied. "His name's Ludwig." Despite his annoyance, Arthur was actually relieved that Alfred as back to his kind-of-stupid self.

"Oh," said an embarrassed Alfred. "Okay, go on. Mattie's here now."

Vash and Arthur exited the room, got in the elevator and descended to the lobby.

* * *

Meanwhile, Claus, Elise and Ludwig were nervously waiting for at least one of the detectives to show up. Claus was holding a teddy bear: Gilbert's stuffed animal from home, the one he brought to the playground the day he was taken. Elise was having a hard time getting the receptionist to spell her surname correctly. The whole family had dark circles under their eyes, and they looked like they only got very little sleep—if any at all—for the past few days.

"No, not Weillschmidt!" Elise said. "Beilschmidt! B-E-I-L-S-C-H-M-I-D-T."

"Beershit?" the receptionist asked again.

"No, not Beershit," said an annoyed Elise. "Why does everyone always say it like that? It's Beilschmidt! Now, where's my son's room?"

Claus and Ludwig looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"Hey, Lui, I'm gonna get a soda," said Claus. "Want one?"

"Sure," Ludwig said. "Oh, get one for Gilbo, too. He'll probably want one."

Claus walked away and went to find a soda machine.

Just then, a boy about Ludwig's age came up to him, seeming to know him.

"Hey, Mudgig," the boy said in a mocking tone.

"I'm not listening to you, Viktor," Ludwig said in a singsong voice. He kept watching his stepmother argue with the lady at the desk. Viktor's full name was Viktor Krum, and he was Ludwig and his friends' bully in school.

"I'm talkin' to ya, Dudwig!" Viktor said. He grabbed Ludwig by his shirt.

"That's not my name," Ludwig said calmly. He was trying not to let Viktor get to him.

"Hey!" Arthur said. "What the bloody hell is going on here?"

"Oh, nothing, officer," said Viktor.

Vash wrestled Viktor off Ludwig. "Get out of here, kid."

Viktor walked away, grumbling under his breath.

"You okay?" Vash asked.

"Yeah," Ludwig replied. "Hey, Mom, Vash and Arthur are here."

"Oh," said Elise. She walked away from the receptionist's desk and went up to her stepson and the detectives. "Lui, where's your father?"

"He went to get a couple sodas," said Ludwig.

As if on cue, Claus came back, holding four sodas: one for him; one for Elise; one for Ludwig; and one for Gilbert. He still held the stuffed bear. "Detectives. Where's our son?"

"Third floor," Vash replied. "I'll take you there now."

"Did you get the bastards who did this to him?" Claus asked.

"Yes," said Arthur. "They're in custody, and they'll be going away for a long time."

"Good," Elise said as she took the soda Claus handed her. She opened it and took a huge sip.

"We'll take you to Gilbo," said Vash. He, Arthur and the family took the elevator up to the third floor, and went to room 210. They all walked inside. There was one difference this time: Ivan wasn't in the room anymore.

* * *

"Gilbo!" Claus and Elise said as they went over to their son.

"My baby, I'm glad you're alive," said Elise.

"Mommy, Daddy," Gilbert said.

"It's alright now, son," said Claus. He and Elise embraced Gilbert, and afterwards, he gave the boy his bear, putting the can of soda on the nightstand.

"You brought Prussia," Gilbert said happily.

"Hey, Gilbo," Ludwig said.

"Big Brother! You're alive!" Gilbert said. He was now clinging to Ludwig like the older boy was a life raft. "The bad men told me they killed you."

"They didn't," Ludwig said quietly as he hugged Gilbert. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry I called you squirt, I'm sorry I couldn't stop the bad men from taking you." He let go when he heard Gilbert coughing and let the child lay down.

"Gilbo, where's Papa?" Arthur asked.

"Potty," Gilbert replied.

"Wait…Ivan was here?" Elise asked. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she continued tending to Gilbert.

"Yes," said Vash. "He came here before you did."

* * *

Ivan came back into the room, where he saw Claus, Elise and Ludwig gathered around Gilbert. He rushed back to his son's side, not caring that his ex-wife was glaring at him. A doctor came in to check on Gilbert.

"Doctor, when will Gilbo be able to come home?" Claus asked worriedly.

"I want to keep him here for the week," the doctor replied. "He's sick, and his injuries need to be treated. He also needs to get some food in him, because he looks like he hasn't eaten in days." He then bent down to Gilbert's level. "Hey, Gilbo. You must be hungry."

"Yeah!" said Gilbert.

"Well, what would you like to eat?" the doctor asked.

"Um…" Gilbert said. He looked at his parents and stepfather, and then his big brother, as if to ask, 'What should I get?' "Um…can I have a cheeseburger and fries and chocolate ice cream and orange soda?"

"Sure," the doctor said and smiled. He got up and walked to the door. "I'll be right back with food." He walked out, leaving Gilbert with his family, and Vash and Arthur.

"We're gonna go check on Al," said Vash. He and Arthur left to go to the second floor.

"Ellie, I'm taking Lui to get some food," Claus said. "Want anything?"

"No, not right now," Elise replied. "Maybe later."

"Okay," Claus said. He and Ludwig left for the cafeteria, while Elise and Ivan stayed with Gilbert.


End file.
